BEST HUNTING RIFLE on a budget build! Complete Set-Up.
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Folks, here's PART 2 of our quest to build the best hunting rifle possible on a budget. In this video, we focused on complete setup: rifle, scope, rings, anti-cant level, bipod, and more.
Our goal is to find out how close we can come to the performance of a premium, $7,000 custom hunting rifle with a budget of just $1,200 for rifle, scope, everything. So far so good... It's coming together nicely. Thanks for watching! And PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!
Wish you had more frequent videos man! Between you and Ron I can't get enough gun discussions. :) Keep em commin'.
I like the balanced build, between money and performance. Many commenters are saying it is too expensive still…but we are assembling a rifle to take along on a potentially once-in-a-lifetime, backcountry hunt. For most non-resident elk hunters, a license/tag will cost $700 to $1000. We want a dependable rifle, capable of making accurate impacts out to 440 yards…and this is a great setup for that, & a reasonable price bracket.
Keep up the great videos 🔥
Love this series! I've had really good luck with Warne rings. Made in USA. The "Maxima" steel rings are about $50 and absolutely rock solid.
Love this series Joseph. Can’t wait for the next episode. I’m hoping the rifle will perform well.
4:00 I used that exact scope at the inaugural elk boot camp over the summer out to 620 yards. It's a dandy!
Definitely an interesting video. Looking forward to the next one
Nice! I'm excited to see how this shoots!
I’ve had those rings on a couple rifles. I don’t really like them, but they have held true and not had any issues.
Beserilien bipod off Amazon ,most of the time for $15 bucks is really nice especially for the money, they have a carbon fiber one also less than $25.
Thought i would throw that out there.
I'll check those out!
Never had a level on any of my scopes, but I would love to know more about them and how they work.
I watch a lot of these "budget hunting rifle" videos and almost all of them surpass $1500 total, I believe that is medium high budget. I built an 8mm Mauser with red field scope for less than $400 that includes the price of the gun.
The "new" stuff is nice, but what you got is really all you need. I always wanted 8mm.
@brianhoxworth3881 it does everything I need it too, it's one of my multiple budget builds I've got six builds.
Great video! I’m looking at getting the Ruger Gen 2 predator in 300wm. I think it will make an awesome suppressed mountain rifle.
Pretty cool rifle for the money I have a hard time subscribing to the budget mindset with any of my gear I’ve waisted a lot of money on budget gear. for me there’s to much on the line and with prior gear failures I’ve learned to just save the money for something of true quality. But that being said that’s not everyone’s mindset nor experience and I do think this rifle setup would work great for a lot of people.
For sure, it's best to buy the highest quality gear you can. I'm just trying to get the best of the budget options as an experiment here... Thanks for watching!
@ I think you picked a great setup for a budget rifle for sure. I don’t mean anything negative to what you are showing i do like the budget stuff Ive definitely made poor choices with cheap gear I don’t want guys to waste money. I’ve seen sub par budget rifles before yours was a great choice
It would be worth it to spend a little more on nicer rings-like the Leupold PRW rings. Or even like the Warne Maxima rings, which are a little cheaper but still a big step up from the “rifleman” ones (scraping the bottom of the barrel there).
Give the discoveryopt rings a look. For the money I'll never buy any others. I just hope they keep the price down. Hopeful ballistics has a good video on them.
I’m going to look into the Gunwerks 6ix
Hello, I have enjoyed you and Ron for several years now, Great stuff!! I looked on Scheels website and the Ruger Gen ii seems to only come in a 20' inch barrel. What cartridges for the Ruger Gen II do you think would struggle for accuracy with only a 20" inch barrel? Thank you and keep it up!
The length of the barrel has no bearing on accuracy, velocity yes, accuracy no.
The Gen 2 predator has 22 inch barrel
@ Ok, thank you. It’s just in my head that the longer the barrel the more time it has to stabilize that bullet. The Ruger G2 has all those 20 inch barrels and I see that they have a 300 win mag which usually carries a 24-26 inch barrel. I know there are some other factor factors bullet Construction and twist. Currently I own two rifles both chambered in . 270 one is the Browning lever action and the other is the Benelli Lupo. That being said, I think the Ruger G2 is going to be my next rifle chambered in 243 or 300 wm. My property is in Southern Colorado so my targets are going to be mule deer and elk. Thank you for that reply. I appreciate it.
@ Ok thanks, I haven't looked at the Predator yet..
@@BabeRuth1978 Well actually the purpose of the longer barrel is proper powder burn not stabilization. Most older magnum catridges ( 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag ) come with a "26 barrel to ensure full powder burn that affords you that magnum velocity. This has been the norm for decades, you can shoot a 300 win mag or 7mm Rem mag with a "22 barrel and the accuracy will remain a constant however you will lose x amount of FPS, where at that point it would be more beneficial to shoot a 280 Rem or 30/06 that do not require a longer barrel for optimal performance. With the trend of hunting with suppressors has become more popular Hornady has developed cartridges to give you that magnum velocity in a shorter barrel hence 7mm PRC and 300 PRC. I hope this helps make a little more sense on the subject.
Good project but confidence is wavering with the tripod and rings. 😂
I always considered buying American as "local" - but I'm Canadian. Do you guys know if Ruger products are also going to be subject to a 25% tariff? Not gonna get political, I'm legit wondering if I can count on US made rifles to be the same price when I'm sure to be spending $ on proprietary accessories, etc.
It's tough to make the argument for Ruger @ 25% more. That's where Tikka takes over.
the Trump tariff would be for Canadian items coming into the US.
no idea if Canada will be imposing the same tariff for US items going into Canada.
I’d expect Canada to retaliate and impose the same tariffs. But until that happens you’re ok. Can always move quickly. We’re doing that with a car and some other big purchases because we’re expecting the same.
@@jasonwebb4871 Like I said, I won't get political on this channel, I know it's not the place. But this sucks, unnecessarily. When a Canadian considers buying American as "local", that should mean something. It used to, anyway. Culturally, we're the same.
Friend of mine in CSOF, retired now, is pretty annoyed. Things he did to Taliban after 9/11 - for the USA on our behalf & cost - anyway, half his livelihood is importing & retail sales of hunting gear + rifles, etc, in British Columbia. That's just one of 40m of us who deserve better.
But anyway, the CVA Cascade & the Ruger American are really common here. They're pretty cheap, you have to let their barrels cool down or their groups are measured in feet, lol, but you can primp one to be a great 600yard plinker for really cheap. Thinking whether I should max out the Mastercard & buy 1/2 dozen of each. People in my apt building wouldn't be uneasy at all, haha.
The prices there are really worlds different here in Canada that scope goes for $840 at Cabelas..
I love the videos and information but wish youd give vortex a try. You can get a better scope for half the price
Man, I have given Vortex a try. I've used at least a dozen of their various models extensively. And they're fine. But Vortex glass makes my (admittedly ultra-sensitive) optical nerves ache. Worse, I've had them go down in impossible places and times. Had a complete windage turret assembly literally fall out in my hand mid-way through a cross-country long-range shooting competition. I don't want to be an optic snob, but I can't afford failure. I've just learned to trust Leupold way more!
@BackcountryHuntingPodcast everyone has different experiences. My eyes see clearer through vortex glass and I've personally never had a quality issue. Leopold's turrets have always felt mushy to me and the glass seemed off color or hazey. Thanks for the response.
@ You're absolutely right--everyone is individual! Makes good sense to use what works for you. 👍
Hard to beat that vx6 3-18x50, My favorite hunting scope.@@BackcountryHuntingPodcast
Are you allowed to bed the rifle under this challenge. I think you should take the aluminum rings back for steel ones. Otherwise, I like your choices.
Too bad so many suppressors are sold out right now. I don't know what it is. Maybe Christmas. I've been waiting just over a month for mine to come in.
Rugers have a slim fore end that makes those bipods fit poorly. More of an offhand/backpack setup.
Ditch the bipod.
His budget and mine are way different
Which model of Harris bipod would you recommend for a setup like that?
I'd recommend the mid length bipods... That's just the best one that I've had experience with. If you're going to get one, I'd recommend a true Harris: reproductions like this one are generally cheaply made.
@@BackcountryHuntingPodcast I bought a strike eagle 3x18 ffp and picked up vortex's precision matched rings for it. I'm leaning a cva cascade xt in 6.5 prc. I def do not want to go cheap on the bipod. I know yall have talked about the 6.5prc in the past I may go on an elk hunt not sure. I currently have a marlin 30-30 and an old remingtom 700 in 270 both have old redfield 3x9s 🤣. where I regularly hunt the shots are 300-350 max (never have shot a deer past 150 currently) but have access to hunt with shots much further. As well as a range out to 800 yards to practice. Thanks for the reply!
Everything is good except barrel is just not long enough for me. All magnum cartridges need at least a 24 inch barrel.
Meh. If I’m running a suppressor, I generally don’t even want a barrel longer than 20”.
Eye flinch good arm/shoulder flinch bad. Just saying...think about it. It's a involuntary reaction so you really can't mitigate it. Boxers, cage fighters, and visitors to optometrist cant stop the reaction. Be a puff of air or a punch to the face no matter how much they train they always flinch. You'll miss more shots if your progressively getting more blind. Sharks flinch hard too.
Why Not the VX Freedom CDS n stay budget minded.?
It doesn't have the same zero stop, and while it's a great budget scope, I think that for the extra $100 or so, it's worth it.
@@BackcountryHuntingPodcast Provided one has the extra cash
Or can wait till doey.
👏👏👏👍👍🤝🫡🫡
Why not just go with tally rings
I will for sure if these budget rings don't shake out, but I just wanted to see how these do.
Another option in Leupold's ecosystem: their cross slot Open Range rings. Really solid. Usually find em on shelves for ~$40
600 is not long range for shooting
No, it's not super far - I shoot at ranges up to 1300 yards often for target shooting. However, I just wanted to see how well this rifle would be at extended hunting distances.
Forget the can.. Your no longer going budget with one..
Mine anyway
Try Witt Machine & Tool Co.
500 includes stamp cost
If I wasn't trying to get all the accuracy I could out of this setup, I'd just leave the brake on. However, I'm going to be testing it against super high dollar custom rifles that also have suppressors, so I'm going to try to give it all the advantages I can.
Thanks! I'll look into them...
Another can option that's even more affordable (and lighter!) is the SilencerCo Harvester Evo. $400-500 depending on a sale.
And like Joseph said, one suppressor purchase can be used across multiple rifles. It's a wise investment.
But yes - a separate one beyond the budget rifle build.
I like the videos. But man you gotta cut out the rambling and talking about the same thing four different ways. You’ve got the right things to say but a 15 minute video became 20 for no reason.
Seems to me a person should buy a rifle that has open sights on it. In case the scope goes south. You still have the ability to hunt
For sure! Whenever possible, I like to have backup irons.
If only those options were as affordable as this rifle!
or put a reflex on the side of the scope.
Pushing 2,000 dollars on a budget rifle?
Minus the suppressor it’s budget
UA-cam doesn't allow? These aren't very smart humans.
I've watched a bunch of videos on UA-cam showing how to mount scopes and also people putting suppressors on their rifles. It is allowed.
@JW-bw8nj I thought so too, but I've tried doing a couple videos putting on scopes and suppressors and they've either been taken down or demonetized. I just didn't want to risk it this time.
Yeah, it's not that they're not allowed, per se... It's that the video will become immediately demonetized AND nerfed by the algorithm.
And by that, I mean YT will label the video as inappropriate for younger audiences and all but eliminate any algorithmic recommending of the content in folks' feeds
They're dumber than a stump.
Looks like a good setup that is ready to do well in the challenge and the mountains 🏔️. Probably switch out the cheap bipod that is already giving you some issues, otherwise you should be set.
I look forward to the next episode of the series